


Content At Last

by lilyseyes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Forced Bonding, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-10
Updated: 2013-02-10
Packaged: 2017-11-28 20:00:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/678342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyseyes/pseuds/lilyseyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is captured and Severus revealed as a traitor - can they combine forces?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Content At Last

**Author's Note:**

> **Written for the reversathon Fest prompt was:** R-NC17; Pairing: Harry/Severus. Severus has been revealed as a spy. Because of some type of parting curse by Voldemort or the Death Eaters, Harry and Severus are forced to bond. Mpreg a plus, could be Hogwarts or post, some sexual fantasy and humor would be appreciated. Would love a bottom-Snape!  
>  Written prior to DH. Betad by Irisgirl2000
> 
> Implied torture, non-graphic pseudo-rape, bottom!Snape, Mpreg, forced bonding, rimming

* * *

If he wasn’t currently petrified in place Harry Potter would have groaned at his own stupidity. How could he have known that the two witches being beaten by a circle of men outside the pub in Brighton were not truly in danger? It certainly never occurred to him that it might be a trap. To add insult to injury, Harry had been over-powered by a well-placed _Petrificus Totalus_ cast by Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the supposed ‘victims’. She circled him with glee, plucking his wand out of his frozen fingers and running her hands over it in an obscene way. 

“Ickle baby Potter has grown –up.” A puff of her putrid breath would have gagged him if he had any control, and the hands that grabbed at his privates turned his stomach.

The cruel twisting and pinching hurt, but Harry actually welcomed the pain, allowing it to fuel the anger welling inside him. He had been duped into believing he was meeting the Order spy, who had finally gotten information on the last of the Horcruxes, supposedly hidden somewhere in the coastal area near the town. His own stupid sense of right and wrong, his stupid ‘saving people thing’, had been his downfall.

“Are you not glad to see me, ickle Harry?” the foul witch continued to bait him.

The hand gentled into a rough parody of a caress. Harry was suddenly glad that his sexual preferences made a lack of reaction possible, which delighted him as much as it infuriated Bellatrix. She slapped him hard in the face before one of the men grabbed her wrist.

“Enough! The Dark Lord ordered that the boy not be hurt, Bella!” the man snarled as he shoved her away.

Harry had had enough and narrowed his eyes in concentration. He mentally flipped through the catalog of spells he had learned over the past year. When he had returned to Hogwarts for his seventh year, Harry had requested that he be given access to Severus Snape’s private quarters. The Headmistress had been skeptical at first of his motivation, but Harry had replayed the scene from the Tower over and over in his mind. Albus Dumbledore had trusted Snape with his life and, Harry believed, with his death. Harry had been determined to find out why. 

Surprised when the impenetrable wards on the chambers immediately admitted him, Harry began to search the surprisingly luxurious rooms for answers. Ultimately, Harry had moved in, living in Snape’s rooms as he devoured the reading material left behind and again become obsessed with his Half-Blood Prince, who gradually merged with the persona of Severus Snape in his mind the two were now conjoined in Harry’s mind; the one a nasty, sarcastic git while the other Harry thought of as a friend and mentor. The search for Horcruxes and learning everything his Prince could teach him occupied Harry’s waking hours, spilling over into his nights. His dreams were haunted by dark-eyed, sharp-tongued lovers that left his sheets sticky and his soul yearning in the mornings.

Even then, it had taken months for Harry to rationalize that Severus Snape could never have murdered Albus Dumbledore, but had been manipulated into killing the Headmaster for the greater good. The two men had even argued about it during Harry’s sixth year, as Hagrid’s eyewitness account attested to, but it was the piles of haphazardly stacked books curing Dark curses and soul-splitting spells that had brought it into perspective for Harry. Snape had been trying desperately to save Dumbledore, but the curse would ultimately have proven fatal.

Now recalling the spell he had memorized from the margins of one of Snape’s old Defense books, Harry silently broke the _Petrificus_. Before he could move toward his wand, a round, flat object was pressed into his hand. 

_"Portus!”_

 

At least Harry was able to twist around and remain relatively upright as the portkey flung him through a kaleidoscope of swirling color. A thousand possibilities flashed through his mind, fear rising in his throat along with his stomach. Taking as deep a breath as he could, Harry pushed his apprehension into a corner of his mind and firmed his Occlumency barriers. Occlumency was another skill he had finally mastered thanks to the notes left behind by his Half-Blood Prince.

Dark, dank air awaited him when the spinning stopped and Harry slammed into a cold stone floor. Rolling quickly to the side, he allowed his body to absorb most of the shock and came up in a crouch. His hand automatically reached for his wand before Harry remembered that it had been taken when he was captured. Backing toward a corner of what looked to be a cell, Harry waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. A pair of dark eyes watched him silently from the opposite corner as Harry frantically took in his new surroundings.

“I should have known you would stumble into the trap those inept idiots set!” 

The sarcastic voice was a raspy whisper, but the familiar tone calmed Harry. Moving cautiously closer, Harry watched Snape carefully. That he had been revealed as a spy was obvious, that he had been hexed and tortured was also apparent. His wandless magic was strong, but Harry had never tried healing spells without his wand before, even if the git let him try. 

“If you mean to kill me, Potter, you had better hurry – it will take approximately three minutes to complete a manual strangulation, and I do not believe we have the luxury of time.”

The whisper, defeated and resigned as it was, sent a chill down Harry spine. The stench of blood and urine was strong as he got close enough to actually touch Snape. Harry flinched at the sight of the battered face and the swollen eyes, reaching out with trembling hands to curl them gently along Snape’s jaw. The dark eyes were weary as Harry concentrated on a nonverbal spell that Madam Pomfrey had taught him, using his hand as he would a wand. His fingers tingled, and Harry carefully pushed more of his magic through them, getting a vague impression of tendons and muscles reattaching, bones knitting, and hexes vanishing. 

A hiss of breath refocused Harry’s attention on the man in front of him, and Harry slowly let his hand drop. Snape was still an ugly git, but Harry could appreciate the intelligence in the fathoms deep eyes now, as well as the slender elegance of his form. A look of pure loathing crossed Snape’s face and a flash of memory came to him from Occlumency lessons of his fifth year, except that Harry wondered if it was directed at him or Snape himself on this occasion.

“Your power has grown, Potter, as has your control.” Snape’s voice was stronger. “It seems you can be taught.”

“Sir…”

The dark eyes bored into his, weighing and judging him, Harry could see. “They will be coming soon, Potter, so close your mouth and listen for once in your life!” Snape drew a deep breath. “The Dark Lord plans to make me the instrument of your death by casting the Imperius Curse on me. Despite what you may think of my Occlumency skills, the Mark makes me vulnerable to his control. If you consent to help, then we might have a miniscule chance of escape.”

Harry only hesitated for a heartbeat. “How?” 

“Legilimency will establish a link between our minds.” Relief was evident in the black eyes that held his. “Then I will be able to retain some semblance of intelligence when I am given my wand and told to kill you.”

“But I don’t have my wand…”

The older man sat up straight and leaned closer. “It matters not, as our minds have linked before, making this a relatively easy task. _Legilimens!_ ”

Harry steeled himself for the forceful penetration of his mind, and was unprepared for the almost gentle way Snape slipped through his barriers. Brief flashes of horrific torture flashed by before Snape seemed to channel his attention to a blue shimmering curtain made up of magic. Harry found himself nudged through the curtain and shown how to add his own magical power, weaving in strands of gold. Their intertwined fingers flew over the curtain, turning the blue into green as the gold threads turned it into a solid barrier and it was almost done when a harsh laugh divided Harry’s attention.

“Well, well, Severus,” a familiar, oily voice sneered at them, “perhaps you are fonder of the boy than you told us. _Partis Plene!_ ”

The curtain fused a solid green in his mind as Harry pushed himself off the floor, disoriented for a moment as he viewed himself through Snape’s eyes. Blinking while he refocused, Harry snarled as he recognized the white-blond hair of Lucius Malfoy, who was followed by two black-robed, white-masked figures. Azkaban had not been gentle to the Death Eater, his face was thin and haggard, the grey eyes cold. 

“I should have known that Voldemort would need his favorite lapdog,” Harry said bitterly. 

The pureblood smirked as he raised his wand. “Do step back from the door, Potter; I wouldn’t want any half-blood filth befouling my robes.”

Harry backed into the corner, keeping his eyes on his captors, but aware of Snape’s movement on the floor. He made no move to help the older man, focusing on the stream of unfamiliar emotions and thoughts invading the periphery of his mind.

 _"Bloody fucking idiot! He’s cast a bounding spell on us!”_ Snape’s voice sounded in Harry’s thoughts, making him frown in confusion. _"The bloody spell he cast is a Dark spell used to bind two people together so that each feels the other, their pleasure and their pain!”_

“There you are, Severus, old friend, a little parting gift from me. Not only will you feel the bit of sport we plan to have with Potter, but when you cast the Killing Curse, it will kill you as well,” Malfoy told Snape in a conversational voice as he signaled the cell door to be opened. “Ingenious of me, really.” 

_“Sounds lovely, Professor.”_ Harry allowed himself to be shoved out of the cell, stumbling when he felt one of the Death Eater’s kick Snape. _“What do you want me to do now?”_

 _”Nothing, Pot—argh,”_ Another kick. _Fucking bastards! Just act ignorant, I’m sure you’ve honed that skill! I will attempt to keep my thoughts from spilling over, as the Imperius will be disorienting and you will need all your faculties, Harry!_ ” 

Harry blinked at the use of his first name as he was shoved into a large chamber and thrown to the floor. Large torches flickered on the walls illuminating a silent gathering of robed Death Eaters. On a raised platform Lord Voldemort sat on a large armless chair, looking every bit the monarch on his throne. Murmurs sounded around him as Harry shook off the harsh hand gripping him and stood tall in front of his parents’ murderer. Severus Snape was shoved to his knees beside him. 

“Your arrogance will be your death, Harry Potter.” Voldemort sounded amused as he stroked his chin with a skeletal finger. “No matter, this will be the last time we meet, and I plan to make it memorable for you.”

Harry laughed bitterly. “I doubt anything connected with you would be worth remembering, Tom.” His head snapped forward with the force of a physical blow and he found himself on all fours. 

“You will respect your betters, boy!” Lucius Malfoy snapped at him as he raised his silver-handled cane.

“Now, now, Lucius, the boy has a right to his opinion.” Voldemort stepped down to stand over Harry. “He is such a pretty boy, isn’t he?”

The tip of Voldemort’s wand kept Harry where he had landed, and a ripple of worry that wasn’t his flowed over him. It was just as Snape had feared, Harry knew suddenly – he was to be a bit of sport for one of the bastards, before he was killed at Snape’s hand. One was going to be given the ‘honor’ of raping him, Harry knew despite the desperate silence from his newly bonded partner, most likely Malfoy or someone equally as deviant. With thanks to the Weasley twins for their unique form of sexual education, Harry cast a nonverbal preparation spell just as he felt his clothing disappear. Invisible bonds pressed his hands to the stone floor and immobilized his legs. Fear rose in his throat like a living thing.

_“Imperio!”_

The delighted venom in Voldemort’s snarled spell made the flesh rise on Harry's arms. Harry mastered his fear by closing his eyes, concentrating on the bond between him and Snape. The older man fought to retain his sanity, even as his body moved to obey the unspoken orders to molest Harry. Mentally reaching out, all his awareness funneled towards the man who had inadvertently become magically tied to him, and fed Snape his strength. Relaxing as much as he could, Harry ignored the pain that ripped through him, leaning instead into the comfort and sorrow that flowed from Severus. The movements were mechanical as the act drew out over several long minutes. 

_"Concentrate on our goal, Harry. After he casts the spell that causes ejaculation, ensuring there will be not doubt as to the identity of your rapist, the Dark Lord should return my wand so that I can kill you.”_

_“Escendo sperma!”_ Voldemort cackled as the gathered Death Eaters laughed heartily. 

Deep embarrassment flowed into Harry’s consciousness as the magically forced warmth flowed into his body and Severus stiffened involuntarily. A painful jolt of magical energy exploded deep inside Harry, like a stinging hex had been cast inside him. Rough hands seized both men, roughly separating them. Harry was thrown to the floor, the binding spells gone. Severus was yanked to his feet by Lucius Malfoy and a hulking Death Eater, who kicked Harry in the ribs as they moved past him. Severus’ glazed eyes were unblinking as Voldemort redressed him with a snap of his fingers, skeletal fingers fisting in the lank black hair as Severus dropped his eyes. Harry lunged at Voldemort, only to be kicked in the face by a shiny black boot.

“Really, Potter, how predictable of you to resort to brawling like a Muggle,” Voldemort sneered as he shoved a dark-colored wand into Severus’ hand.

“A Half-blood like you would know all about Muggle abilities, Tom." Harry wiped a trickle of blood from his nose with the back of his hand.

 _"Crucio!”_

Pain exploded through Harry as a wave of fire burst along the nerve endings in his body, just enough to rip the breath from his lungs. Severus twitched in shared pain; his eyes losing their glazed look for an instant as Harry fell back, writhing. The assembled Death Eaters laughed loudly at the parody of entertainment, as Harry’s nude body bowed. Lifting the curse, Voldemort deliberately turned his back on Harry, with no fear of retaliation – a mocking insult of Harry’s magical abilities. Head held high, Harry pushed himself up to his hands and knees, struggling to regain his breath.

The Dark Lord flicked his wand at Severus again, and a barely perceivable tremble ran through him. “Kill him, traitor!” Tom Riddle hissed.

Taking an unsteady step, then another, Severus moved toward Harry. He swayed silently when he came to a stop beside the Boy Who Lived, wand pointing down. Reaching up, Harry grabbed the tip of the wand bringing it in line with his heart as he pulled himself up to his knees. He concentrated on gathering his magic, envisioning it as a ball of golden threads, Severus’ magic blending in to color the edges emerald green. 

_"Avada…”_

With a subtle tilt of Severus’ wrist, Harry’s hand slid up the shaft of the wand to cover the older man’s. The tip shifted; his eyes never leaving Severus’, Harry pushed his magic into their joined hands, fueled by the love he felt for all those who had been sacrificed in this war: his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Ginny. 

_"…Kedavra!”_

The energy crackled as their magic combined, the Dark magic of the spell wrapping itself around the sheer power of Harry’s magic. It burst out of the tip of Severus’ wand in slow-motion, the green of the Killing Curse wriggling as if alive, bursting against Voldemort’s chest. Following its movement, Harry could see the widening of the red slits in the evil bastard’s eyes that was the only reaction before what was left of Tom Riddle fell to the stone floor and began to smoke. 

A stunned silence surrounded them for an instant and Harry used it to throw his arms around Severus’ legs, Apparating them away.

~~~ * ~ * ~~~

The first thing Harry was noted when he became aware again was that he was pain free. And clean. And lying in his own bed, his limbs wrapped around a thin body. A warm, distinctly male body, Harry thought hazily. His hand was currently cupping a lovely large cock. Keeping his eyes closed, almost afraid that he was still unconscious and fantasizing, Harry squeezed gently. The cock twitched appreciatively and a warm arse pressed back against him. Maybe he was still sleeping, Harry thought as he slid his hand up the firming length, turning his head to nuzzle the hair gathered at his companion’s neck.

Dobby must have found them, he thought, tasting the warm flesh at the juncture of neck and shoulder. Severus’ skin smelled of the cinnamon and clove soap the house-elf kept putting in his bathroom. The over-exuberant creature would have sensed their newly bound state and insisted on honoring the magical ties, which would explain both their unclothed state and being in the same bed. A thrill ran through Harry at the thought of what they had accomplished together, their intertwined magic pulsating just beneath his skin. An overwhelming desire to make love to the older man washed over him, and Harry found himself rubbing his hard cock against the pressing arse. Severus’ cock was hard in his hand as Harry continued to press kisses along the curve of the thin shoulder.

A soft moan escaped the older man as Harry shifted, pushing Severus’ thigh forward with his own. The soft warm skin pressed against his erection as Harry whispered a lubrication spell. Worried that Severus would still feel he had raped Harry - despite the circumstances – Harry wanted to assuage any guilt from Severus’ mind. He had fantasy about a tall, dark-eyed lover, but Harry hadn’t consciously realized that his dark lover was his Half-Blood Prince, that it was Severus Snape he had been fucking nightly in his dreams. He wanted to make love to Severus, here and now, with all the tenderness he knew, to give the man the most pleasure he could.

Harry couldn’t wait, so stretched and prepared Severus with another spell. Severus shifted closer, bring his leg up more, and Harry could feel the anticipation in him. He hesitated for a moment to see if there were any protests; when none were forthcoming, Harry slid an arm under Severus, splaying a hand across his chest, before using his other hand to guide his cock. The tip slipped easily through the ring of muscle and Severus arched back against him with a growl, pushing Harry deep into him. His hand soothed over Severus lean flank, caressing the warm skin as his lips moved to discover the soft flesh behind Severus’ ear. Moving his hand back to the long length of cock, Harry rocked his hips slowly in time with the leisurely strokes of his hand and tongue. 

Harry gasped as the tight heat surrounding him contracted to grip him even harder. Refusing to be hurried through something he had waited so long for, Harry continued the slow, steady strokes. Severus remained silent but for the tiny groans and hisses of breath that mirrored Harry’s louder moans. Knowing the instant he had found Severus’ prostate as he felt an echo of the jolt through their bond, Harry gasped as he became more aware of the sensations flowing through Severus. Severus’ hips jerked and Harry struggled to keep his pace. His hand fisted Severus' cock as he buried his face in the fragrant hair at the nape of the older man’s neck. The tightening of his balls and tension building in his groin was amplified by feeling the sensations mirror in Severus. Their climax ripped through them jointly, warmth flooding over his hand even as Harry felt his release fill Severus.

Harry held Severus to him in a tight embrace until a wave of disgust and revulsion tore through him, courtesy of the bond. The hurt he felt staggered him and ripped his breath from him. Harry gasped as he pulled away, the prickle of tears stinging his eyes. He had known rejection all his life, but nothing that had cut so deeply as being rejected by the person he was bound to right after making love to him. He was on his feet at the side of the bed before Harry realized he’d even moved. Grabbing the first clothes he could find, Harry turned back towards Severus, who was still lying motionless in the large bed with his face averted, but found he couldn’t push any words through the constriction in his throat. Turning, he silently left the bedroom.

~~~~*~*~~~

Harry hunched over a cup of strong black tea in the basement kitchen of the house on Grimmauld Place, his body aching with pain and exhaustion. Ron kept glancing at him with a worried frown which Harry refused to acknowledge, the air around them tense. The sound of the Floo caught their attention, and they both looked up as Hermione stepped out of the large fireplace. Harry would have stood to greet her if he had the energy. Instead, he watched her brush off her robes.

“Well?” he asked wearily, his stomach already churning with the little tea he’d managed to get down.

Hermione shook her head slightly as she say heavily beside him. “He says he is guilty of many things, and the Wizengamot won’t ever see past the fact that he is the wizard who murdered Albus Dumbledore.”

“Stupid prat!” Ron burst out angrily. “Even I was able to figure out that a wizard as powerful as Dumbledore wouldn’t have just stood by and let someone cast the Killing Curse at him! Anyone with half a brain could have worked it out for themselves!”

Despite his misery, Harry snorted, not even having to look up to feel Hermione’s glare. The sound of flesh on flesh as the witch smacked her lover would have normally made him laugh, but Severus’ refusal to come to his own hearing in front of the Wizengamot just made his stomach churn more. Snape didn’t think he deserved to be pardoned, and Harry had felt the concern through the bond they shared that his Pensieve testimony would only condemn him further.

“Alright, then, I will just have to submit to _Veritaserum_ ,” Harry told them quietly, knowing he could very well be sentencing both himself and Snape to Azkaban. 

“And hope they don’t ask you the tough questions, eh?” Ron spoke his thoughts aloud as Hermione laid a soft hand on Harry’s arm.

“Something else happened while you were held captive, didn’t it?” The brown eyes were soft with concern.

“I… they…” Harry shook his head, his abdomen cramping as it had over the past week. “Lucius Malfoy cast a spell on us that made each of us feel everything the other was going through.”

Hermione gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.

Taking a deep breath, Harry shifted, trying to ease the cramp. “Voldemort put Snape under the Imperius and forced him to… to have sex with me.”

“You were raped!” Ron sputtered angrily.

Harry tensed.

“The bastard raped both of you, Harry!” Ron raged, standing so violently he knocked his chair over. “Any Pensieve memory would show that!”

Startled at Ron’s reaction, Harry glanced at Hermione and saw she was nodding her head as well. 

“It was… agreed on… we, uh, planned most of it out during the few minutes we had alone. Severus seemed to be was pretty sure of what Voldemort was going to do. After… after the rape, Voldemort was going have him cast the Killing Curse on me, knowing it would actually kill both of us, but we managed to turn it on him.”

The soft hand rested again on his arm and shrewd brown eyes met his. “I wondered how you, who never seemed to be able to successfully cast a Dark spell, were able to use the Killing Curse on Voldemort. You combined your magic somehow, too.” 

Harry studied his fingernails. “We were trying to weave a protective shield to help Sev—Snape resist the Imperius when Malfoy cast the binding spell and it fused our magic together.” He could not admit that despite his best efforts to block Snape’s thoughts, he could still feel his emotions, especially the anger that his former professor seem to possess in great amounts. It didn’t matter anymore, Harry thought bitterly; despite the bonds that tied them to each other, Severus Snape did not want him.

“I’m ready. The session starts in less than an hour,” he stood shakily, Ron reaching out to steady him.

Hermione planted her hands on her hips. “You are already sick, Harry – if you take _Veritaserum_ , you are going to be deathly ill.”

“All I need is to hang in there long enough to win Severus his freedom; it will be worth the pain,” Harry told her quietly as he brushed to front of his formal robes. “We owe him the chance of a normal life.”

Flanked by his best friends, Harry Apparated to the Ministry of Magic where he had been called to testify before the Wizengamot in regard to the crimes of Severus Tobias Snape.

~~~~*~*~~~

The fireplace flared with green flame as the Floo system activated, and Severus Snape lifted his head wearily from his hands. How many people did Potter allow free access to his residence, for Merlin’s sake? It could not to be the boy, as Severus had felt the pull of Apparation and knew Harry had gone to the Ministry of Magic to fight for his freedom. Although Severus had managed to tightly leash his own emotions and block most of Harry’s, he could still feel the younger man's deep sorrow and regret. Severus had hoped that by pushing him away, the bonds might be weakened enough to be dissolved. Harry Potter could not want to spend his life tied to someone like him.

It surprised him nevertheless when an irate Poppy Pomfrey stepped from the fireplace and stalked towards him without so much as straightening her hat, which had been knocked askew. Severus politely rose to his feet, as his mother had taught him to do when he was a small boy, with a brief bow of his head to acknowledge the witch’s presence. Standing tall, Severus waited for her to begin the tirade he could see in her stormy eyes. 

“Severus Snape! You may have a death wish in the aftermath of this bloody war, but why must you condemn poor Harry to death as well?”

The acerbic diatribe he had prepared died on Severus’ tongue, and for once he could think of nothing to say. Why would his refusal to defend himself against the indefensible condemn the teenager who had done nothing but been forced to witness the murder? Albus Dumbledore had promised Severus that the proper information would be provided to the Order as well as the Bureau of Magical Law Enforcement, but Hermione Granger had made no mention of that during her visit earlier that morning. Severus knew if he appeared at the Ministry, he would never make it to the courtroom on level ten before being arrested. There was a cell reserved in his name at Azkaban, Severus was sure of it. 

So lost was he in his thoughts that Severus didn’t notice the mediwitch scanning him with her wand until he felt the wash of healing magic. The scowl he automatically shot the woman dissolved under the fierce look she gave him.

“You were both hexed with several Dark spells while you were held captive, Severus,” Pomfrey stretched out a hand slowly to rest on his robed arm, “and Harry told me what the two of you did, as well. I know that the forced bonding spell bound your bodies and also made the temporary binding of your magic permanent.”

Severus closed his eyes in defeat; this was what he had been afraid of. He had hoped to find a way to reverse the spell, to release the boy from this.

“Severus! Are you listening to me?” 

Opening his eyes, Severus glanced at her sharply. “There is no need to tell me that I have ruined—”

“Do shut up, Severus,” she cut across his rant, eyes locked with him. “Harry told me had been sodomized by a wizard who was under the Imperius at the time. There was very little tearing or other evidence of violence so I knew the other man must have fought the spell as much as he could. Nevertheless, when I inquired of Harry the other man’s identity, he refused to tell me who it had been, only that this man was not a willing participant and was as much a victim as he was.”

She knew, Severus thought as she continued to speak; he waited for the accusations and recriminations to start, but the woman’s eyes remained clear and focused. 

“I am telling you this, Severus,” Poppy Pomfrey continued, “because I have known you for twenty-eight years and know that beyond any doubt, Albus Dumbledore trusted you above all others. Despite appearances, I realize the manipulative old coot would have made the most use of his own death.” She paused to take a breath. “I am also telling you because when I scanned Harry this morning, I detected a variation of your magical signature residing inside him.” 

“As you said, Madam,” Severus said, unable to keep his bone-deep exhaustion from showing, “we were bound together, body and magic, and as such it does not surprise me—”

“I know you are tired, young man, but do try and listen to what I am saying! You left a piece of yourself behind, Severus; Harry is carrying your child!”

Severus held the woman’s dark eyes who returned the stare steadily. It was only the steady connection that kept him upright as the room wavered and spun. Pregnant? Harry Potter was pregnant with his child? It took two very powerful wizards, a soul bond, and a conception potion to attain a male pregnancy! Additionally, there was the need for deeper feelings as well, the Light power infused in love was an incredibly strong, but that would mean that Harry… that Potter actually felt something for him other that loathing and hatred had Severus over-looked those feeling in the ensuing confusion and remorse he had felt? Or was it that Severus had no concept of what the feeling was like, never having experienced it before himself?

“Severus,” Poppy Pomfrey said sharply, “there is no time for recriminations now. The Wizengamot session begins in less than half an hour and you do realize what will happen if Harry submits to _Veritaserum_ , don’t you?”

Shattered by the news the mediwitch had brought, his head spinning with exhaustion, concern and something he couldn’t quite identify, Severus had to stop and restore order to his disarrayed thoughts. The ingredients for the truth serum scrolled through his mind before his head snapped up, dread showing in his eyes.

“The Jobberknoll feathers will cause the fetus to abort.” Severus knew that a forced abortion after the fetus was properly implanted in the newly created magical womb would kill both the wizard and the child. It would kill his Harry.

“Exactly.”

~~~*~*~~~

Harry squared his shoulders as he stood beside the chair he had occupied four years ago as a scared fifteen-year-old, scanning the crowd of faces looking down from the benches at him. Gone were Madam Bones, Percy Weasley, Dolores Umbridge, and Cornelius Fudge, replaced by a dour faced Rufus Scrimgeour. If his stomach wasn’t in such an uproar, Harry would have been amused by the Minister of Magic’s demeanor – in the three days of the Wizengamot’s hearing on the death of Tom Marvolo Riddle, he had not once smiled. It was as if Harry had committed a crime by defeating the evil wizard in secret, where the Ministry could not take credit for some aspect of Voldemort’s downfall. Perhaps he could work that into his testimony, Harry thought ill-tempered.

“Auror Smythe, please administer the _Veritaserum_ to the witness,” Scrimgeour order without ever acknowledging Harry’s presence.

A tall, solidly built wizard with sleek brown hair stepped forward from the shadows near the end of the raised bench, a green potions bottle in his hand. He loomed over Harry, who found he had to brace himself to keep from flinching away. A sudden burst of disbelief through the bond startled him, as did the wave of horror that followed. Willing his body to stop trembling, Harry clamped down on Severus’ emotional outbursts, blocking the bond ruthlessly.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Potter?” the Minister snapped. The chains on the wooden chair rattled ominously.

Taking a deep breath, Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione, who had reassuring smiles pasted on their faces, and turned back towards the bench. “I’m ready, sir.”

Gingerly seating himself on the wooden chair, Harry looked up at the hovering Auror, who was scowling at him.

“Tilt your head back, Potter,” Smythe told him impatiently, “and stick out your tongue.”

His stomach cramped at the thought of the foul-tasting potion, but Harry was determined to follow his plan and stuck out his tongue obediently. The wizard stepped closer, and Harry’s eyes were riveted on the short, blunt fingers working the cork out of the vial. Tilting his head back as Smythe raised his hand, Harry closed his eyes as he saw the first drop poised at the lip of the crystal vial.

“Stop!”

A sharp cry and the resounding thud of a door slamming into a wall rang through the stone courtroom. Harry’s head jerked towards the back of the room, the drop of _Veritaserum_ splashing onto his cheek. His eyes focused on Severus Snape’s face as it became visible in the dim, flickering torchlight, and his lungs suddenly lost the capacity to breathe. Struggling to maintain his decorum, Harry allowed a feeling of hope to bloom as he read concern in the dark eyes. Severus strode directly to him, followed closely by Poppy Pomfrey and a straggling line of Aurors who were running after them. 

The dungeon courtroom dissolved into bedlam, Scrimgeour shouting, Poppy fending off the Aurors, but Harry never noticed, his eyes on Severus. The older man stopped in front of him and with a hand that trembled ever so slightly, cupped Harry cheek to wipe off the potion with a swipe of his thumb. Something in the deeps of those eyes held Harry captive, and peace filled him suddenly, making him whole again. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Rufus Scrimgeour was on his feet, pounding on the desk in front of him. “Silence!”

The bond came alive with a pulse of warmth, reassurance, and something deeper, before easing close again, gently, regretfully this time, but leaving behind a promise. Gentle hands eased him into the chair just as Severus was grabbed roughly from behind. Harry’s anger flared, and the chains on the wooden chair rattled as a magical whirlwind whipped his hair. The two Aurors let go of Severus and took a hesitant step back, just as Minerva McGonagall pushed through them to stand beside the mediwitch.

“Rufus Scrimgeour! This man has appeared here of his own free will to answer your summons, the least you could do is allow him to testify as you have demanded!” Her brogue had thickened with anger as the Headmistress of Hogwarts glowered up at the Minister of Magic. 

The Minister glared back. “We were in the middle of Potter’s testimony, my good woman! Auror Smythe!”

Smythe stepped forward warily as Severus settled a hand on Harry’s shoulder and left it there, stopping the Auror with a look. His stomach stopped cramping as the calmness descended on him once again. 

“Both Mr. Potter and myself will give you the Pensieve memories you have demanded, Minister, and I will submit myself for questioning under any truth serum you deem necessary, but Harry will not be taking any _Veritaserum_.”

There was an incredulous look on Scrimgeour’s face, as if he wondered when he had lost control of his own hearing. Harry realized that something profound must have happened, something that had changed Severus’ mind about pushing him away. It suddenly dawned on Harry that somewhere along the way he had come to love the sardonic, ill-tempered git. 

“His medical condition is such that any truth serum would put Mr. Potter’s life in jeopardy,” Poppy Pomfrey announced solemnly, sending a ripple of murmuring through the room.

“Medical condition?” Scrimgeour sputtered, “What medical condition?”

“Harry,” Severus said with unmistakable pride, “is pregnant with our child.”

Harry’s breath caught in his chest as he held Severus’ gaze, and the room around them dissolved into pandemonium.

~~~*~*~~~

**  
_Epilogue_   
**

 

Gentle fingers carded through his hair, gradually waking Severus from sleep. Cracking one eye open, the Potions master could see the stars shining down through the enchanted ceiling that Harry was so proud of creating. He slid a hand down to stroke the rounded curve of his husband’s belly, a habit he had acquired in the six months since he and Harry had bound their souls in an impromptu ceremony before the Wizengamot the day the governing body had acquitted Severus of all wrong-doing. This final bond cemented the ties begun when their bodies and magic were bound the day the Dark Lord had fallen. 

“Severus?” Harry purred in his ear, shifting against him.

The feeling of love flowed strongly through the bond they shared, as did the arousal that Harry seemed to feel so much during this pregnancy. Severus mentally rolled his eyes, smiling into his pillow as he rolled onto his stomach and spread his legs.

“Other pregnancies result in odd food cravings, Potter. Only you have sex cravings!”

Lips caressed the back of his neck. “My poor Severus - so maltreated and ill-used.” 

“Indeed, brat, therefore, you must make all the effort while I attempt to gather the strength necessary to keep up with you.”

Harry snickered, but went to work, slowly reducing Severus to a quivering mass with his lips and fingers. Severus found himself incapable of thinking coherently as that hot tongue circled his entrance, slipping around the fingers that worked to stretch him as they brushed his sweet spot. 

“Arghh, now, Harry!” Severus panted the sensations pooling in his groin as he felt Harry shift behind him.

“Should have known what a pushy bottom you would be!” Harry gasped as Severus pushed back to impale himself his husband’s cock.

“You always seem to bring out the worst in me,” Severus huffed, bracing his hands against the headboard.

Severus savored the pleasure as Harry pounded his prostate; the tightness building so quickly Severus didn’t even have to touch himself. The combined feeling flowing between them triggered their orgasms simultaneously, leaving Severus stated and sticky beneath the heavily pregnant man. Severus found enough strength to shift Harry off him, and cast a cleaning spell before settling his soul-mate in his arms. 

“Sleep now, my Harry. Unlike you, I have potions to brew in the morning,” Severus pressed a kiss to a damp temple, his unspoken love in the brush of his lips.

“Yes, Severus,” Harry snorted, spooning back against him so that Severus could rest his hand on where their son grew. “I love you, too.”

And Severus smiled into the darkness, content at last.

* * *


End file.
